Mechanism for pulling out suspension bars in an electrolytic refinery for metals



March 10, 1970 Ku-NlYA SASAK' 3,499,207

MECHANISM FOR PULLING OUT SUSPENSION BARS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC REFINERY FOR METALS Filed Oct. 5, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY a/d7 ATTORNEYS March 10, 1970 KUNIYA SASAKI 3,499,207

MECHANISM FOR PULQLING OUT SUSPENSION BARS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC REFINERY FOR METALS Filed Oct. 5, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2 FIG. 3

INVENT OR B e/tn,

ATTORNEYS March 10, 1970 K SASAKI 3,499,207

MECHANISM FOR PULLING OUT SUSPENSION BARS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC REFINERY FOR METALS Filed Oct. 5, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENT OR ATTORNEY5 United States Patent 3,499,207 MECHANISM FOR PULLING OUT SUSPENSION BARS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC REFINERY FOR METALS Kuniya Sasaki, Niihama, Japan, assignor to Sumitomo Metal Mining Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan Filed Oct. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 673,058 Int. Cl. B23p 19/04; B25g 47/36; Bc 11/14 US. Cl. 29241 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE through loops provided on the metal plate.

This invention relates to a mechanism for pulling out suspension bars in an electrolytic refinery for metals.

An electrolytic refinery for such metals as, for example, copper and nickel is formed of a number of machines and elements such as a starting sheet preparing machine, constant pitch unloading equipment, starting sheet feed-in equipment, an overhead travelling crane, an electrolytic cell, cathode Washing and piling equipment and a carrier conveyor.

The present invention relates to a mechanism for automatically pulling out suspension bars inserted through hanging loops provided on metal plates conveyed by a conveyor in the metal plate washing and piling equipment among the above mentioned series of equipment at the end of the conveyor.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for automatically pulling out suspension bars inserted through loops provided on metal plates within a short time.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view showing a lay-out of an electrolytic refinery;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view of a metal plate hung on a hanging bar;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of FIGURE .2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the mechanism of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional side view of a part of guide roller 5 in FIGURE 4.

An electrolytic refinery for metals shall be explained with reference to FIGURE 1. Stripped starting sheets contained in a pallet are conveyed to a starting sheet preparing machine A by means of a roller conveyor and the starting sheets prepared in the starting sheet preparing machine A are arranged at determined pitch on a constant pitch unloading equipment B. Then the starting sheets on the constant pitch unloading equipment are put into starting sheet feed-in equipment C and are hung in an electrolytic cell D by means of an overhead travelling crane. The metal plates thus made and pulled out of the electrolytic cell are transferred onto a cathode washing and piling equipment E, are washed, the suspension bars are pulled out and are piled continuously. The piled products are conveyed with a carrier conveyor F and are then taken out of the refinery.

The present invention is to be used in the metal plate washing and piling equipment among the above mentioned series of equipment and is formed by providing a member for receiving and supporting a suspension bar inserted through hanging loops attached to a metal plate so as to face the end of the conveyor and to be lower than the upper surface of the conveyor. A member for receiving and supporting the lower end of the article hung on the suspension bar so as to be below the end of the conveyor is provided as is a suspension bar pushout device on the side of one end of the member for receiving and supporting the suspension bar.

An embodiment of the mechanism of the present invention shall be explained with reference to FIGURES 4 and 5. 1 is a chain conveyor. A member 2 for receiving and supporting a suspension bar is provided to face the end part of this conveyor 1. In the illustrated embodiment, said member 2 consists of a plate 3 mounted in the upper part an inclined little rearward with respect to the upright and extended in the lateral direction, a plurality of rollers 4 are provided in a row in the lateral direction on the surface of said plate 3 and a guide roller 5 is provided at one end of the plate 3. A member 6 for receiving and supporting a metal plate is formed by fixing to a shaft 9 a proper number of metal fittings each provided with a surface with which the side of the metal plate is to contact and a surface 8 to support the metal plate on its bottom part below the end part of the chain conveyor 1. The shaft 9 is supported with bearings at both ends. 10 is a suspension bar push-out device provided on one side of the member 2 for receiving and supporting the suspension bar and any known hammer type pusher in which a piston is pushed by an oil pressure or air pressure can be used. 11 is a suspension bar guide plate extending in the tangential direction from above the side of a sprocket 1 at the end of the chain conveyor 1 to the vicinity of the member 4 for receiving and supporting the suspension bar but may be omitted. As shown in FIGURE 6, the guide roller 5 is made by pressing a dish-shaped washer 13 against the front side of a rotary shaft 12 projecting from the back surface of the plate 3 with a nut 15 through a spring 14. The suspension bar 18 is held between the plate 3 and the dish-shaped washer 13 and is pushed out by rotation of guide roller 5.

Further, the member 2 for receiving and supporting the suspension bar need not be of such structure as is mentioned above but may consist of L-hook-shaped metal fittings laterally arranged at intervals so as not to interfere with the loops. The member 6 for receiving and supporting the cathode may be formed of an L-shaped angle member or the like.

The suspension bar 18 is pulled out of the loops 17 as follows. When the suspension bar '18 comes to the end of the chain conveyor 1 supported at both ends on the chain conveyor 1 supported at both ends on the chain conveyor 1 as in FIGURE 5, due to the inertia, even if there is no chute 11, it will advance as indicated by the arrow in the upper part of FIGURE 5, will collide with the plate 3 and will drop to be supported by the rollers 4 and guide rollers 5. On the other hand, the metal plate 16 hung on the suspension bar 18 will collide with the surface 7 of the member 6 for receiving and supporting the metal plate 16 before the suspension bar 18 collides with the plate 3. When the suspension bar 18 then collides with the plate 3, the metal plate 16 will fall down due to its own weight to be supported on the bottom surface with the surface 8. At this time, a clearance will be made between the upper part of the loop 17 and the upper surface of the suspension bar 18 so that the weight of the metal plate 16 does not rest on the suspension bar 18. The

pusher 10 will strike the suspension bar 18 at one end toward the other end. Due to this impact and the rotation of the guide roller 5, the suspension bar 18 will be pushed out sidewise through the loops 17. Then, by rotating the shaft 9 anticlockwise in the drawings, the metal plate 16 from which the suspension bar '18 has been pulled out can be dropped down. Then, if the suspension bar 18 is so made as to be able to be pulled out of the loops 17 with only the pusher 10, the guide roller may be omitted.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for retracting suspension bars from a supporting conveyor for holding and transporting platelike articles wherein said suspension bars support said articles along an upper surface thereof, comprising:

means mounted adjacent and below the terminal end of said conveyor for deflecting said articles from a vertical axis,

means for engaging the lower edge of said deflected articles,

said means for deflecting including means for engaging said suspension bars, and

means mounted laterally adjacent said means for deflecting in lateral alignment with said engaged suspension bars for pushing said suspension bars from engagement with said articles.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said means for deflecting is a plate-like member mounted in inclined relationship to the plane of said conveyor and said means for engaging said suspension bars is a rotatable wheel member mounted to said means for deflecting so as to retain portions of said suspension bars therebetween.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said means for engaging the lower edge of said deflected articles is a rotatable lever having a surface for supporting the bottom of said article and a surface for supporting the lower side portion of said article adjacent said bottom.

WAYNE A. MORSE, 111., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

